Machine for flocking woven or other fabrics.



Nor 797,717 PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905. J. M. BROWN.

MAUHINE FOR FLOGKING WOVEN OR OTHER FABRICS APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1904.

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J. M. BROWN. MAGHINE PORFL'OGKIN-G WOVEN OR OTHER FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED HAYES, 19M.

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mcumcmm I N0. 797,717. PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905- J. M. BROWN. MACHINE FOR FLOCKING WOVEN OR OTHER FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1904.

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JOHN M. BROWVN, OF WEST PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed May 26, 1904.- Scrial No. 209,858.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at l/Vest Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Flocking l/Voven or other Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to a machine for flocking woven or other fabrics containing wool, cotton, shoddy, or other materials with wool or other matter in flocculent form to give body and character to the inferior woven fabric, as well as to enhance the value or salability of such fabric, and in such connection my invention has relation to the general construction and arrangement of a machine for the defined purposes.

My invention consists of a machine for flocking woven or other fabrics by presenting flocculent matter to the fabric in its travel under tension and in then forcing the flocculent matter into the meshes or body of the fabric during the repeated beating operations on the fabric to finally thereby permanently thicken the fabric; and my invention further consists of certain details in the construction and arrangement of the machine for the defined purposes, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature, scope, and characteristic features of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an apparatus in one form embodying main features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of a hopper for feeding the wool or other matter in flocculent form from the hopper onto the surface of the traveling fabric and also showing one set of pressurerollers, flocking-drum, and tension-rollers over and between which the fabric travels in the machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical broken sectional view of the flock-feeding hopper, showing a brush and comb therein, which former by its rotation is adapted to discharge uniformly the flocculent matter from the outlet onto the fabric in the travel of the fabric through the machine. Fig. lis a top or plan view, enlarged, of the comb of the feedinghopper brush of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a modified form of comb without teeth for permitting of the flocculent matter being conducted through the intervention of a revolving brush from the hopper. Fig. 6 is a top or plan view, enlarged, in broken section, of the brush and comb of the feeding-hopper in operative position and also showing one mode of combing the flocculent matter from the hopper onto the fabric in its travel. Fig. 7 is a vertical broken sectional view of a modification of the feeding-hopper and an adjustable perforated or sieve-like bottom through which the flocculent matter by means of the revolving brush is forced through the bottom of the hopper and distributed uniformly over the surface of the fabric in its travel. Fig. 8 is an underneath plan view of the adjustable perforated or sieve-like bottom of the hopper and its accessories; and Fig. 9 is a top or plan view, in broken section, of the spiral brush within the feeding-hopper and also showing the perforated or sieve-like bottom of the hopper.

In order that my invention may be fully understood from the accompanying drawings, showing different forms of feeding means in particular for conveying the flocculent matter to the previously-woven or other fabric in its travel through the machine, I will now proceed by reference to the drawings to describe the manner of carrying out practically the flocking of woven or other fabrics by such arrangement of machine.

With reference to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the flocculent matter is placed in a hopper a, of any suitable construction. Mounted in this hopper is a rotating solidly-bristled brush a, and adjacent thereto is a toothed plate or comb a adapted normally to bear against the bristles of the brush a, so that in the rotation of the brush the flocculent matter may be caught up by the bristles of the brush and liberated by the intervention of the teeth of the comb with the bristles of the brush to force the matter in a more or less finely divided and segregated state in regulated quantity onto the previously-woven or other fabric composed of wool, cotton, shoddy, or other material in its travel. The previously-woven cloth or other fabric 5 in layers or in afolded condition on the platform 6 is led therefrom over tension-rolls c, c, and 0 respectively, and between pressure-rollers (Z and d in a longitudinal plane beneath and adjacent to the outlet of the feeding-hopper (4', whereby through the constant rotation of the brush a of the hopper a the flocculent or segregated matter is deposited upon the surface of the cloth in its travel. The fabric after receiving the flocculent matter upon its surface is passed between pressure guide-rollers e and e and then in the path of a flocking-drumf, provided with a series of transversebeater-bars f. The fabric then passes over a series of staggered tension-rollers g, g, and g to the next flocking-drum f or a series of such drums in the machine, as illustrated in Fig. 1, as well as over and under in series tension-rolls and between pressure mashing-rolls located adjacent to the respective flocking-drums of the machine until after the fabric leaves the last in the series of flocking-drums. By this time it will be found that the fabric has thoroughly embedded in it the flocculent matter applied thereto by the same being permanently packed into the meshes or body thereof.

From the last flocking-drum f of the series the fabric thoroughly flocked passes between pressure-rolls h and h of different sizes to smooth out or calender to a certain extent, as it were, the surface of the fabric previously treated in the machine, and the fabric then passes over a tension-roll c and between guiderollers j and to the lay-up p- The direction of travel of the fabric during the foregoing treatment of the same in the flocking thereof is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. It may be here remarked that the reason for subjecting the cloth to the series of actions hereinbefore explained is to secure an even distribution of the flocculent matter over the surface and into the meshes of the previously- Woven or other fabric to thereby permanently thicken the fabric, because, owing to the very nature of said flocculent matter, there could be no uniformity in the manner of filling the meshes of the fabric unless it underwent the series of flocking operations described. By exerting pressure adjacent to the hopper and after deposit of the flocculent matter onto the surface of the traveling fabric under tension such matter will become packed in the meshes of the fabric by the pressure-rollers and. e and prior to the action of the first in series of the flocking-drums f thereon. Any lumpy or matted condition of the deposited flocculent matter on the fabric will be spread or distributed by said pressure-rollers, and the body of the fabric by the actions of the series of flocking-drums will be permanently thickened preparatory to the final surface-finishing and lay-up of the fabric.

Referring to Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, the feedhopper a in this instance is provided with a spirally-bristled revolving brush a journaled to the hopper and revolved by means of a sprocket-wheel cf, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 9, in a similar manner as the brush of Fig. 6 is actuated from any suitable source of power. (Not shown.) The hopper a in this instance is provided with a semicircular sievelike bottom or perforated outlet (4 having bottom slides or plates a, slotted at (4 so as to be adjustable with respect to the face of the sieve cf, and through the slides or plates are inserted set-nuts a to control the position of the same, and hence the quantitative discharge of flocculent matter through the bottom of the hopper (4 onto the fabric in its travel in the machine.

In Fig. 5 the comb or plate a is without teeth, as in Figs. 1, 8, 4, and 6. This plate a is suitably connected with the hopper and is adapted to bear with a pressure against the bristles of the brush in the rotation, as in Figs. 1 and 3, to liberate the flocculent matted or other somewhat similar matter from above the brush in the hopper, and in order that the said matter may be deposited on the surface of the cloth traveling beneath the hopper-outlet, so as to be pressed into the body of the fabric over its entire surface by means of the pressure-rollers e and e and preparatory to action upon the flocked surface of the fabric by the first flocking-drum f of the series of the machine.

Having thus described the nature and object of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A machine for flocking fabrics, comprising a hopper provided with a brush and a device for bearing against the bristles of the brush, a series of pressure guide-rollers, a series of flocking-drums provided with transverse beater-arms, pressure-rollers arranged in advance of said flocking-drums, tension means for holding a fabric taut during its travel and arranged between the flockingdrums in series, and guiding and surface-finishing rollers interposed between the last of said flocking-drums and the lay-up means for the fabric, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. A machine for flocking fabrics, comprising a flock-receiving hopper provided with a rotary segregating device, means for causing a previously-woven fabric to pass under tension beneath the outlet of said hopper, to receive on and over the surface the segregated flocculent matter, and a series of mashing pressure-rollers and flocking-drums having transverse beaters or arms adapted to force the flocculent matter into the meshes or body of the fabric so as to permanently thicken the fabric, substantially as described.

3. A machine for flocking fabrics, comprising a hopper having a rotary brush, means contacting with said brush to assist in liberating fluify or matted matter from the hopper, means for moving a fabric in the path of the outlet of said hopper, under a guided pressure or tension, flocking-drums for, by repeated actions, beating and fixing the flocculent matter deposited on the surface of the cloth in its travel into the meshes or body of the fabric to thicken the same, substantially as and for the purposes described.

a. A machine for flocking fabrics, comprising a hopper, means for moving a fabric into rev r17 3 the path of distribution of the flocculent matter from said hopper, flocking-drums operative between the feed of matter to the traveling fabric guided under tension or pressure and the lay-up of the fabric to permanently thicken the same, substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the character described, a hopper for the reception of the floeculent material and having an outlet, a'revoluble brush arranged within the hopper above said outlet, and a stationary means for separating the flocculent material, said means arranged in contact with the brush and coacting therewith to separate the material prior to its discharge through the hopper-outlet, in combination with means for moving a fabric into the path of discharge of the flocculent material from said hopper-outlet, flocking-drums operative between the feed of matter to the traveling fabric, under tension, and the layup of the fabric to permanently thicken the same, substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the character described, a hopper for the reception of the Iiocculent material, and having an outlet, a revoluble brush arranged within the hopper above said outlet and a stationary comb-plate arranged in contact with the brush and coacting therewith to separate the material prior to its discharge through the hopper-outlet, in combination with means for moving a fabric into the path of discharge of the flocculent mate rial from said hopper-outlet, flocking-drums operative between the feed of matter to the traveling fabric, under tension, and the layup of the fabric to permanently thicken the same, substantially as described.

7. In a machine of the character described, a hopper provided with a rotary bristled brush, a device adapted to normally bear with pressure against the bristles of said brush, means for feeding a woven or other fabric in the path of the outlet of the hopper, to receive flocculent matter discharged from the hopper, pressure mashing means located beyond said hopper, flocking-drums arranged beyond said means, tension and pressure means arranged between said drums and guiding and surface-finishing means interposed between the last of the series of flockingdrums and the lay-up for the fabric, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. In a machine of the charactcrdescribed, the combination of a mechanism for feeding flocculent material to the fabric, a mechanism for maintaining the fabric under tension, a series of flocking-drums operating upon the fabric under tension, and a series of pressurerollers alternating with the flocking-drums and coacting therewith to force the material into the meshes of the fabric, substantially as and for the purposes described.

, In testimony W hereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN M. BROWVN.

Witnesses:

J. WVALTER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

